ORLANDO, Fla. -- A massive fire at one of Central Florida's oldest attractions, Gatorland, engulfed the park's gift shop and damaged other surrounding offices and structures, including the well-known alligator mouth entrance Monday, according to Local 6 News.

"A fire of this magnitude would be dangerous to fight in any situation but now you have to throw in the fact that there are dangerous animals inside -- alligators that are more than likely spooked by the commotion," Local 6's Jessica Sanchez said.

Park official, Heather Goodwin, said firefighters were able to keep the fire contained to the gift shop area and apparently flames were not able to spread to areas where alligators and other larger animals were being held at the park.

"The fire is in the gift shop, predominately, and no one has been injured," Goodwin said. "We are not aware of any animals that have been injured at this point but we did have some small salamanders in the gift shop that, of course, we imagine are gone."

Goodwin said the gift shop was not being renovated and she had no idea how the fire could have started.

She said the large mouth entrance apparently was destroyed by flames.

"I can't see through the smoke right now but it doesn't look very promising for the mouth," Goodwin said. "It is a tragedy with these historical structures. I'm sure we can get that mouth reconstructed. Granted, it won't be exactly the same but we will have the mouth back."

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That's too bad. It screamed "back roads Florida tourist trap" even though it's in the city. It's one of the weirdest tourist places I've ever been. I especially remember the gators jumping straight up out of the water around 4 feet to snare a tasty whole chicken hand-dangled by a worker -- pre-Steve Irwin days.

Well, once upon a time it was in the sticks. That overhead photo reminded me how much Florida has grown. The first time I saw that entrance, around '71 or '72, there were 2 poorly paved lanes running past each way, with a wide grass patch in the middle and pine and palmetto scrub to the horizon, broken by the occasional farm or road side sea shells and citrus stand.

I love the old, back highways of Florida, like Highway 1 between Cocoa and Daytona Beach and Highway 41 through Inverness. With all the little stands, motels, and various odd buildings, many now boarded up, it's a real taste of what Florida must have been like before the Interstates and Disney World.

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